Flashback ( PDFDrive )

TWENTY-SIX
WHY ARE THEY WAITING UNTIL after sunset?” Sophie asked as Fitz
curled his shaky hands into fists and pressed them against his heart.
“It’s a security thing,” Biana explained, glancing warily at her
brother. “Um. Should we be worried about him?”
“I’m fine,” Fitz gritted out. “I just need a second.”
But Elwin still emerged from his office and flashed a layered bubble
of light around Fitz’s torso.
“What kind of security thing?” Sophie asked Biana.
“Luzia made some changes to the gate so that it will react if Alvar
gets too close, and I guess that means they have to disable everything
to bring him through. Apparently that’s easier to do at night when
there isn’t as much light fueling the mechanisms? I don’t know—none
of it really makes sense to me, but . . .” She shrugged.
“They’re disabling the gate?” Fitz’s fists curled tighter when Biana
nodded. “Great, so once Alvar’s in, he’s never leaving—but I guess we
already knew that.”
But Sophie was much more interested in the fact that Luzia had
gotten involved. “Did she admit there’s something weird about the
property?”
“No, she claims the only reason she made an adjustment is to
prevent Alvar from escaping. And she was there for, like, two minutes,
so I don’t think the change is that big a deal. She seriously showed up,